Product Review: Action Gear tests new GoPro Hero6 action cam

Product Review: Action Gear tests new GoPro Hero6

How much better is it?

Short answer: very.

On Tuesday this week, Vice and Warrick from Action Gear spent the day at Huddle Park in Linksfield at the Johannesburg launch of the GoPro HERO6 Black – the very latest from the world’s most renowned action camera manufacturer. Despite looking almost identical, here are some significant upgrades from the much lauded Hero5 model, starting with improved stabilisation. Where the previous model offered stabilisation at just 2.7K with 10% cropping, the 6 will do at 4K with just 5% cropped off. Of course, a new camera wouldn’t be much improved without better quality, especially in its colour range which is clear to an extra F-stop.

There’s a host of new features, and the gents from Action Gear gave them a go. We realise that they sell these products and its very likely that they will say good things no matter what, but we know they are being honest here because we at The Bike Show TV make use of a host of Hero5 cams and are wondering how it could get better. Apparently, it can:

Making full use of the venue’s facilities, which included golfing, archery, mountain biking and more, this was the perfect way to see exactly what the GoPro HERO6 was capable of. It did not disappoint. We were particularly impressed with the image quality, which is not only a notch up from the HERO5 in terms of dynamic range but is also buttery smooth. The new GP1 chip really shines in this regard and the stabilisation really is next-level, unlike anything we’ve seen without a gimbal.

Here’s what the footage looks like:

The addition of 4k60 and 1080p240 means that slow-motion shots are insane – crisp and smooth with no jitter whatsoever. The GoPro Quik app is also very decent, managing to put footage together very well with almost a sixth sense for which footage works well with other footage and what should be left out.

This is a fantastic camera, and whilst it may look exactly the same as the HERO5, what’s inside is vastly different – and a significant improvement across the board. The identical form factor also means that all your HERO5 accessories are compatible, right out of the box. If you need to capture pro-level action footage, this is what you want. Period.